UACE S101 General Paper section A: Problems faced by the youths and their solutions

Uganda uses two different categorizations for youths. The National Youth Council Act classifies youths as individuals aged 18-30 years and, the revised National Youth policy uses 15-30 years. The Commonwealth identifies young people aged 15-29 years as youths.

Problems faced by the youth in Uganda

1. Youth lack employment making them unable to earn and pay for their need. In the country of income inequality, even those with employment are unsatisfied with their income in comparison with those earning higher pay.
2. Youth feel lots of pressure from peers, parents, and society to conform to conflicting expectations like behaviors, style and choices
3. Low self-esteem resulting from negative body images. Many youths desire to certain body shapes, skin color, size, height and these are their daily tormentors. Some youth may refuse to eat in order to become ‘thin’ but this may set in disease due to malnutrition.
4. Many youths engage in risky sexual behavior such prostitution because of pear pressure or as a means of earning a living. This exposes them to sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS and loss of self-esteem.
5. Young are involved in use, sale drugs causing health risks such as cancer from smoking and becoming public nuisance.
6. Many youths are now taking alcohol as sign of prestige or a measure to disguise their stresses.
7. Lack of accommodation due to lack of employment and poverty. For instance, many of urban youth sleep in ghettos and slums which are unhygienic and pose a lot of health hazards.
8. Youth are exposed to on-screen violence and unhealthy social media such as aggressiveness, gambling and pornography.
9. Youth face discrimination in society and work because of their sex, color, tribe, political affiliation and so on.
10. Many youths are victims of domestic violence because they enter marriage before, they are prepared and du to extreme poverty where they cannot afford basic need.
11. High percentage of youth out of school due to peer pressure and poverty.
12. Child labor.
13. Human trafficking
14. Youth are the main source of imprisonment due indiscipline, drug abuse, alcoholism, conflicts and immorality.

Solutions to youth problems

1. Lack of employment can be solved by government creating jobs, through relevant practical education, youth accepting manual job and innovation into job creation.
2. Peer pressures and low esteem can be combated through counseling, being member of positive groups and engaging sports and games to keep the youth busy.
3. Use of drugs and alcoholism can be minimized through education and rehabilitation centres
4. Youth should be discouraged from watching pornography, violent films and gambling
5. Youth medical centres should be put in place to offer medical counseling and treatment of STI, STD and other youth diseases
6. Use of condoms, faithfulness, and abstinence should be emphasized to protect the Youth from HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease.
7. Community service should be adopted in preference to imprisonment.
8. Enforcement of legislation against child labor, domestic violence and human trafficking should be strengthened.
9. Conditions in schools should be improved to reduce school dropout rate.

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Thanks

Dr. Bbosa Science